Two former Parramatta Eels players are accused of harbouring semi-automatic weapons and possessing more than half-a-million dollars in cash after dramatic arrests in Sydney's Centennial Park yesterday.

Pin prick test will reduce HIV infection

A new rapid test for HIV will increase the number of people being tested for the disease and reduce the risk of transmission, Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek says.

Ms Plibersek on Monday announced the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had approved for marketing the Alere Determine Combo HIV 1/2 Ag/Ab test, which will give people a preliminary result within 30 minutes.

Ms Plibersek said the pin prick test would mean people newly infected with HIV can quickly access treatment, while the risk of infecting others would also be decreased.

"What it does though is increase the likelihood that people will come in for a test, and increase the likelihood they'll be tested frequently.

"Early diagnosis of any illness, means earlier treatment.

"It is also very important for people to know their HIV status because we also reduce the risk of transmission."

The current antibody tests can take between two weeks and three months.

Ms Plibersek said TGA approval had come with strict accreditation conditions to ensure clinics carrying out the tests were trained to not only offer people medical help, but counselling if needed.

She said sexual health clinics were best placed to undertake the tests, but envisaged that over time and with training, GPs would also provide the service.

"It is very important if you are giving someone an on the spot diagnosis and they might by HIV positive, that you have someone who's appropriately trained and qualified ... in the medical treatment process," Ms Plibersek said.

They should be "able to offer the sort of social and psychological counselling which may be important when someone gets such difficult information."

Since 1985 more than 30,000 people across Australia had been infected with HIV, while there had been 11,000 cases of AIDS and almost 7,000 deaths, Ms Plibersek said.

"Many of these infections have been preventable, and doing what we can as a community and as a society to reduce the risk of HIV infection is very important," she said.

HIV support group ACON welcomed approval of the test, which followed an 18 month trial in NSW, saying "regular testing is crucial to reducing HIV transmission rates".

"The speed and convenience of rapid testing will encourage more people to get tested more regularly," ACON chief Nicolas Parkhill said in a statement.

Executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, Rob Lake, supported making testing simpler and more accessible for gay men whom he called "the most affected community in Australia".

"(The rapid test) will help make the testing experience easier and encourage them to test more often," Mr Lake said in a statement.

"Rapid HIV testing will help make HIV testing easier, increase the level of testing, and enable earlier diagnosis, so it's very welcome news."